Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 18

 Chapter 11 verse 18 

“You are the imperishable, the supreme Being worthy to be known. You are the great treasure-house of this universe. You are the imperishable protector of the eternal dharma. In my opinion, you are the ancient Purusa.” 

Aksharam and Veda means “imperishable” and “to know”. Arjuna says Krishna is at once both imperishable, reflects the indestructible part of the Universe which is Supreme Soul itself as well as the only thing all of us should strive to know. Vedas are named as the truth to be known. Root of all vedic teaching is to reach godliness and knowledge that everything which pervades the universe is the Supreme Soul and Being. Arjuna also calls his “nidhaanam”- treasure house and support for the entire universe. I wonder why the word “patience” in tamil also goes by nidhaanam- being patient to attain what is ordained for you is a godly trait. Arjuna concludes this sloka saying Krishna in his opinion is also the Purushosttama that the ancient, timeless, imperishable Sanatana Dharma calls the creator and sustainer of the Universe.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 17

 Chapter 11 verse 17 

“I see your form, adorned with a crown, and armed with the club and disc, shining everywhere as the abode of splendor. It is hard to look upon you in the blazing fire of your effulgence, which is radiating like the sun in all directions.” 

Arjuna is seeing the divine cosmic form of Bhagwan Krishna-avatara of Mahavishnu. With granted divine vision, Arjuna is able to see the extremely bright form of Bhagwan. He describes the form as one glowing like infinite suns with crown in the head, 4 arms with club, disc (sudharshana chakra), conch and lotus. This form has personal significance and attachment for me- being the temple deity of my beloved Guruji’s ashram-Om Swamiji’s Bhadrika ashram in himachal Pradesh- Sri Hari modeled on the Sri varadaraja perumal in kanchipuram. As well, this is the same form in the Hindu temple of northwest Arkansas, where I reside called the “chaturbhuja Krishna or gita acharya” presiding over the world’s first gita stoopa preaching the timeless wisdom of sanatana dharma and bhagavat gita. There are no coincidences in life when one starts observing the patterns and messaging nature and cosmos is trying to teach us. If we listen, we will definitely benefit. Let’s listen to our pure consciousness and center ourselves in the service of Supreme Bhagwan.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary Chapter 11 verse 16

 Chapter 11 verse 16 

“I see your boundless form on every side, with manifold arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; neither the end, nor the middle or the beginning do I see; O Lord of the Universe, O cosmic form.” 

Arjuna calls Sri Krishna vishveshwara- Lord of the Universe and vishwaroopa-divine cosmic form. Arjuna recognizes that his lifelong friend, cousin and now his charioteer is indeed not all those relationships but the Supreme Lord Himself. In his universal form, Arjuna cannot find the beginning, middle or the end of the form and His cosmic form contains all the arms, legs, stomachs, mouth, eyes of all the beings on not just planet earth but entire universe and multi-verses.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 15

 Chapter 11 verse 15 

“Arjuna said: Bhagwan Sri Krishna, I behold within your body all the gods and hosts of different beings. I see Brahma seated on the lotus flower; I see Shiva, all the sages, and the celestial serpents.” 

Arjuna is beginning to see the divine cosmic form and describes what he is seeing. He is able to see the entire universe contained in Him with both brahma seated on huge lotus flower and shiva residing in Him as well. All the erstwhile and accomplished sages are present in Him as well as the celestial serpents such as vasuki, anantha etc., All kinds and forms of beings are present in His divine form.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 14

 Chapter 11 verse 14 

“Then, Arjuna, full of wonder and with hair standing on end, bowed his head with folded hands before the Lord and addressed him thus.” 

Arjuna, beginning to see the divine cosmic form of Bhagawan, bows down to him in awe, reverence and with wonder and describes what he is able to see..

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 13

 Chapter 11 verse 13 

“There Arjuna could see the totality of the entire universe established in one place, in that body of the God of gods.” 

Sanjaya starts to explain the divine cosmic form of Sri Krishna and that Arjuna is beginning to see the totality of the multiple universes from infinite time and space all encompassed in the body of the God of Gods-Supreme Divine form of Sri Krishna. Yasoda also saw this form but could not handle it. It is not easy to comprehend the incomprehensible.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 12

 Chapter 11 verse 12 

“If a thousand suns were to blaze forth together in the sky, they would not match the splendor of that great form.” 

Poets from time immemorial have used metaphors and similes to illustrate experience, imagination and observations. Likewise, Sanjaya is attempting to explain what he saw while witnessing the divine cosmic form of Bhagawan Sri Krishna. Even though radiance and brilliance of Bhagawan is incomprehensible and indescribable, Sanjaya says it is as if 1000 suns are blazing together in high noon. 1000 is a number which has been used in our history (ittihaasa) multiple times to denote numerous or countless. All the names sung in praise of Supreme Lord is 1000 number-Lalitha sahasranama, Vishnu sahasranama etc., the import of 1000 is innumerable and countless. This is the closest Sanjaya can come to the description of the Supreme Bhagawan.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 10-11

Chapter 11 verse 10-11 

“In that cosmic form, Arjuna saw infinite faces and eyes, decorated with many celestial ornaments and wielding many kinds of divine weapons. He wore many garlands on his body and was anointed with many sweet-smelling heavenly fragrances. He revealed himself as the wonderful and infinite Lord whose face is everywhere.” 

Sanjaya explains the divine cosmic form further saying that it contained innumerable eyes, faces, adorned by all kinds of divine ornaments and contained all the weapons the world can imagine. Krishna wore the most beautiful garlands, most divine and heavenly perfumes emanated from his body and His form transcended the realm of time and space-infinite expanse was being covered by his cosmic form. It is impossible to imagine this form for mere mortals and even with divine vision. 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 9

 Chapter 11 verse 9 

“Sanjaya said: O King, having spoken thus, the Supreme Lord of yoga, Shree Krishna, displayed his divine and opulent form to Arjuna.” 

Sanjaya was granted the remote viewing capacity by sage veda vyasa in order to narrate to Dhritarastra what was transpiring in the kurustretra war. As well, Sanjaya had enormous bhakti towards Bhagawan Krishna and hence had the ability to see the vishwaroop darshana (vision of divine cosmic form of Lord Krishna) as shown to arjuna by the Lord himself. The power of maya is so severe that a majority of the contemporaries of Lord Krishna during dwapara yuga did not comprehend that he was divinity personified even in his material form. Forget the few who could even withstand seeing Krishna in His divine form. This part of history repeats itself time and again when avataras descend on earth. Very few recognize exalted avataras all over the world. Blessed are those who are able to realize the avatars in real time. All glories to the Bhagawan!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 8

 Chapter 11 verse 8 

“But you cannot see my cosmic form with these physical eyes of yours. Therefore, I grant you divine vision. Behold my majestic opulence!” 

All mortal beings on earth cannot comprehend the divine cosmic form of the avatar of Krishna or any of the other avatars. Very few recognize divine form of the avatars. We only see the material form of the avatar or avatara purushas. In order to view, understand and enjoy the cosmic form of  Bhagawan, beings need the divine eyes, divine mind and divine intellect which can only be bestowed by bhagawan’s grace. Krishna is bestowing that Grace on Arjuna.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 7

 Chapter 11 verse 7 

“Behold now, Arjuna, the entire universe, with everything moving and non-moving, assembled together in my universal form. Whatever else you wish to see, observe it all within this universal form.” 

Not only are all the celestial gods contained in His Supreme cosmic form, everything moving, non-moving, past, present and future time is enshrined in His cosmic form. He is both formless and contains every form there is. Maharaja Bali got darshan of his form in vamana avatara and is expected to be Indra in a future manvantara. Such is the exalted state of beings who get to view his cosmic form. Reading and writing about itself is a huge blessing!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 6

 Chapter 11 verse 6 

“Behold in me, the (twelve) sons of Aditi, the (eight) Vasus, the (eleven) Rudras, the (twin) Ashwini Kumaras, as well as the (forty-nine) Marutas and many more marvels never revealed before.” 

The universal form or vishwaroopa of Lord Krishna or paramatma not only contains the entire creation on earth but other celestial bodies and the whole multi-verse. All the celestial gods are but a small speck of his whole. Quoting Swami Mukundananda’s research below: 

 He shows the twelve Adityas, eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, two Ashwini Kumars, as well as the forty-nine Marutas within himself. 

The twelve sons of Aditi are: Dhata, Mitra, Aryama, Shakra, Varun, Amsha, Bhaga, Vivasvan, Pusha, Savita, Tvashta, Vaman. The eight Vasus are: Dara, Dhruv, Soma, Ahah, Anila, Anala, Pratyush, Prabhas. 

The eleven Rudras are: Hara, Bahurupa, Tryambaka, Aparajita, Vrisakapi, Shambhu, Kapardi, Raivata, Mrigavyadha, Sarva, Kapali. The two Ashwini Kumaras are the twin-born physicians of the gods. 

The forty-nine Maruts (wind gods) are: Sattvajyoti, Aditya, Satyajyoti, Tiryagjyoti, Sajyoti, Jyotishman, Harita, Ritajit, Satyajit, Sushena, Senajit, Satyamitra, Abhimitra, Harimitra, Krita, Satya, Dhruv, Dharta, Vidharta, Vidharaya, Dhvanta, Dhuni, Ugra, Bhima, Abhiyu, Sakshipa, Idrik, Anyadrik, Yadrik, Pratikrit, Rik, Samiti, Samrambha, Idriksha, Purusha, Anyadriksha, Chetasa, Samita, Samidriksha, Pratidriksha, Maruti, Sarata, Deva, Disha, Yajuh, Anudrik, Sama, Manusha, and Vish.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 5

 Chapter 11 verse 5 

“The Supreme Lord said: Behold, O Partha, my hundreds and thousands of wonderful forms of various shapes, sizes, and colors.” 

Arjuna is already blessed to reach the stage in his journey to enlightenment-Moksha of obtaining Supreme Being’s vision. In his lifetime as Arjuna, he has been a great warrior who has put in great efforts to attempt excelling at what he does. As we have seen earlier, that’s not the only qualification though. Bhagawan is ready to show him his infinite forms, shapes, sizes and colors which are contained within Him now.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 4

 Chapter 11 verse 4 

“O Lord of all mystic powers, if you think I am strong enough to behold it, and then kindly reveal that imperishable cosmic form to me.” 

Arjuna humbly requests Lord Krishna to reveal his divine cosmic form if he feels that he is worthy of that darshan. There are 2 things I want to illustrate here. First is that Arjuna is an incarnation of nara and narayana and has led many righteous previous lives to beget this life with the supreme being Himself. So he is not in the presence of the Lord by happenstance or accident. It is his efforts from all previous lives, current life and Grace of the Lord. Second, his humility and surrender to divine is now complete and that’s clear in his words and affection towards Lord Krishna. These 2 conditions are the ones which will help Arjuna achieve this darshan he is seeking.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 2-3

 Chapter 11 verse 2-3 

“I have heard from you in detail about the appearance and disappearance of all living beings, O lotus-eyed one, and also about your eternal majesty. O Supreme Lord, you are precisely what you declare yourself to be. Now I desire to see your divine cosmic form, O greatest of persons.” 

Arjuna summarizes what he had heard from Lord Krishna so far and reiterates that he is the controller of all living beings and that his prowess is infinite. Having heard all the glories of the Lord and being convinced that Lord Krishna is Supreme Being Himself, Arjuna requests him to show his divine cosmic form. Although Vedas and Vedanta stipulate that Brahman is both form and formless, mere mortals cannot easily comprehend the formless divine and would like to imagine Lord in human form. Sanatana dharma understands this psyche very well and lets devotees and followers worship Lord in various forms while knowing that all these polytheistic forms converge to the monotheistic God principle. Sanatana dharma is the most evolved scientific and efficient way of life for time immemorial.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 1

 Chapter 11 verse 1 

“Arjun said: Having heard the supremely confidential spiritual knowledge, which you have revealed out of compassion to me, my illusion is now dispelled.” 

After a glorious chapter 10 where Lord has indicated vast extents of his glories, one wonders what actions lead someone to be blessed with such grace from the Divine. His devotion getting perked up, Arjuna first of all recognizes and submits to the infinite compassion of Krishna, who he hitherto thought of his lifelong friend, cousin and confidant but beginning to recognize that He is supreme being personified. Arjuna claims that his illusion about Krishna is dispelled. Has Arjuna truly recognized the extent of Lord Krishna’s omniscience and omnipresence as the Lord of the multi-verse? What has Arjuna done in the past to deserve such quality time with the Lord? Will all of us get that kind of exposure and grace if we did His work? Yes is the simple answer and surrender 100% is the simplified way.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 42

 Chapter 10 verse 42 

“What need is there for all this detailed knowledge, O Arjun? Simply know that by one fraction of my being, I pervade and support this entire creation.” 

Lord had earlier indicated that there are 2 forms of his creative energy-material and spiritual. Only a quarter of His energy is material and is the cause of all multi-verses. Lord mentioned some of the glories of the material world but in this chapter didn’t cover His spiritual prowess. Arjuna may not yet have comprehended all his glory. Out of sheer compassion, Krishna gave Arjuna a glimpse of His vast glories but He is now indicating that it is enough to just know that Lord is everywhere, everything and all pervading. That’s all and that much all of us need to know. It is not easy to accomplish that without His Grace.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 41

 Chapter 10 verse 41 

“Whatever one sees as beautiful, glorious, and powerful, know that to spring from but a spark of my splendor.” 

This verse sums up all Lord’s glories he highlighted. Now that Arjuna and the world got a glimpse of His glories, it is much easier to accept that everything which is attractive, awe inspiring, glorious and powerful in the world is just a reflection of a small spark of his unlimited splendor. No wonder our ancestors had opening prayers for every action they started to invoke the Divine energies to help with that activity. They understood the import of this verse completely.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 40

 Chapter 10 verse 40 

“There is no end to my divine manifestations, O conqueror of enemies. What I have declared to you is a mere sample of my infinite glories.” 

From verse 20 to 39 in this chapter, Lord enumerates his 82 divine glories. However he concludes that there is no end to his glories and manifestations. His glories and manifestations are infinite. In the theory of mathematical induction, a concept is tested for N=1,2 and N-1 and hence established for all conditions. Similarly Lord has shared his 82 divine glories as a sample to indicate that His glories are infinite and unbounded. Arjuna and all of us beings need to comprehend this and surrender to His will.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 39

 Chapter 10 verse 39 

“I am the generating seed of all living beings. No creature moving or non-moving can exist without me.” 

Lord is beginning to summarize his glories spoken thus far in this chapter by stating that all living and non living beings originate from him not only in this planet earth but all multi-verses known and unknown to man. His glories are incomprehensible for the ordinary human. That’s why surrender to Divine is extolled.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 38

 Chapter 10 verse 38 

“I am just punishment amongst means of preventing lawlessness, and proper conduct amongst those who seek victory. Amongst secrets I am silence, and in the wise I am their wisdom.” 

Sanatana dharma has reams of literature on how to run a just society with consequences of lawless action including avatars of Lord to rid society of evils by eliminating such evil. Violence is not encouraged but suitable punishment to prevent lawlessness is absolutely prescribed. Lord has indicated that such punishment is also meted out by Him. When someone earns a victory or success in their endeavor, it is only natural to celebrate. However the best of us celebrate with humility and contentment. The victory itself is obtained through moral means. This is a great lesson and reminder in current times of political and global anarchy. There is no secret which can be kept unless the person keeps it to himself/herself. It doesn’t remain a secret when another person knows about the secret. That’s why silence is the best way to keep a secret. That silence represents the glory of the Lord. There are countless secrets of the multi-verse He holds in his bosom without divulging to anyone over eons. The wisdom to see that all creation is His and love, compassion is the way of the world makes the wise stand out. That wisdom emanates from the Lord through His GRACE alone.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 37

 Chapter 10 verse 37 

“Amongst the descendants of Vrishni, I am Krishna, and amongst the Pandavas I am Arjuna. Know me to be Veda Vyasa amongst the sages, and Shukracharya amongst the great thinkers.” 

There is something common among the great scriptures of sanatana dharma. Conversations are captured verbatim by the writers. Is there any more evidence needed to establish that Krishna is the great avatar of the Supreme Divine when he refers to himself in third person. He wants to make it even more tenable for Arjuna to learn his glories by pointing out his contemporaries as reflection of His great glory. He calls Krishna (vasudeva or himself) as the greatest among the vrishni clan, Arjuna as the greatest among pandavas, veda vyasa (who is sincerely reporting this Mahabharata and hence the Srimad Bhagavat Gita as well) as greatest sage and Shukracharya who was kind enough to agree to be guru of asuras. All of these great men were great reflections of the creative glory of the Supreme Lord.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 36

 Chapter 10 verse 36 

“I am the gambling of the cheats and the splendor of the splendid. I am the victory of the victorious, the resolve of the resolute, and the virtue of the virtuous.” 

Even our lowest tendencies such as cheating during gambling and all other sins happen only due to the freedom of choice the Lord is giving the soul to choose. The freedom of choice itself is His glory that even with all that power, he chooses to lend that freedom to beings and does not interfere. He is also the best of the best, the good choices are enabled as well by Him. Firm resolutions of the best of us and the victory of the good vs. bad all emanate from Him. For those who doubt whether we have free will, Lord gives a clear message in the affirmative in this verse. Free will is available at the present moment. Let us choose wisely. Let us surrender to Him and reap the benefit of His GRACE.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 35

 Chapter 10 verse 35 

“Amongst the hymns in the Sāma Veda know me to be the Brihatsama; amongst poetic meters I am the Gayatri. Of the twelve months of the Hindu calendar I am Margsheersha, and of seasons I am spring, which brings forth flowers.” 

Lord Krishna is bringing forth the joys and gifts of nature as a reflection of his creative glories. The Vedas are called strutis-what was obtained initially from nature and divine sound waves discerned by our ancient sages and then passed on orally through eons. Krishna had earlier indicated that the sweetest of the Vedas is Sama Veda and now he points to the Brihatsama portion to be the best hymns. Gayatri meter (chandas) has been extensively used in the Vedas including the famous Gayatri mantra discovered by sage Vishwamitra. Turning then to the seasons, Krishna points to November-December timeframe in most of India especially north India where the weather is neither too cold or hot and when harvest happens and there is joy in the air overall. Margsheersha reflects his abundant glory. So does spring season when flowers bloom and major Indian festivals are celebrated to appreciate nature’s bounty itself.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 34

 Chapter 10 verse 34 

“I am the all-devouring Death, and I am the origin of those things that are yet to be. Amongst feminine qualities I am fame, prosperity, fine speech, memory, intelligence, courage/firmness, and forgiveness.” 

Continuing to enumerate his unlimited glories, Lord says that both inevitable deaths for all beings are controlled by him as well the origin of all things past, present and future. Both men and women should have unique great qualities and there are various common qualities suitable for both men and women. Lord highlights 7 great qualities of women- 3 external such as fame, prosperity and clarity in speech. For all those who think Bharata varsa itihasa (Indian history) and scriptures didn’t respect women-why would Lord talk about “fame” as one of the top qualities of a woman if they did not have complete freedom to do what they wanted and get famous for righteous action. 4 internal qualities of women Lord Krishna wants to highlight as part of his glories are great memory, intelligence, firmness and courage to take a decision and see it through and the ability to forgive wrong done to them. A lot of them are great qualities for both men and women. Interestingly Sanatana dharma and Bharata Itihasa (Indian history) always associated material wealth and abundance as the stronghold of women and is the only way of life where women got this kind of power in scriptures and early way of life. Things might have declined over time in those values in society but the high ideals were set in our history and way of life early on.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 33

 Chapter 10 verse 33 

“I am the beginning “A” amongst all letters; I am the dual word in grammatical compounds. I am the endless Time, and amongst creators I am Brahma.” 

Again, I am just going to quote from Swami Mukundananda’s commentary as below: 

In Sanskrit, all letters are formed by combining a half-letter with “a.” For example, क् + अ = क (k + a = ka). Hence, the letter “a” is the most important in the Sanskrit alphabet. “A” is also the first vowel of the alphabet, and since the vowels are written before the consonants, “A” comes at the very beginning. 

Although Sanskrit is such an ancient language, it is highly refined and sophisticated. A common procedure in Sanskrit language is to combine words to form compound words. When, in the process of making one compound word, two or more words give up their case endings, it is called samāsa, and the resulting word is called samāsa pada, or compound word. There are primarily six kinds of samāsa: 1) dwandva, 2) bahubṛihi, 3) karm dhāray, 4) tatpuruṣh, 5) dwigu, 6) avyayī bhāv. Amongst these, dwandva is the best because both words remain prominent in it, while in the others, either one word becomes more prominent, or both words combine together to give the meaning of a third word. The dual word Radha-Krishna is an example of dwandva. Shree Krishna highlights it as his vibhūti. 

Creation is a magnificent act and awesome to behold. Humankind’s most sophisticated and technologically advanced inventions pale in comparison. Therefore, Lord Krishna singles out the first-born Brahma, who made the entire universe, and says that amongst creators, the creative ability of Brahma best reflects the glory of God.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 32

 Chapter 10 verse 32 

“O Arjuna, know me to be the beginning, middle, and end of all creation. Amongst sciences I am the science of spirituality, and in debates I am the logical conclusion.”

I am just going to quote Swami Mukundananda’s commentary for this verse since it is so complete and I cannot abridge it further without losing the essence and beauty of it. 

Earlier in the twentieth verse, Shree Krishna had stated that he is the beginning, middle, and end of all living beings. Now, he states the same for all creation, “All that is created, such as space, air, fire, water, and earth, is called sarga. I am the Creator (ādi), Maintainer (madhya), and Annihilator (anta) of these. Therefore, the processes of creation, maintenance, and dissolution can be meditated upon as my vibhūtis.” 

Vidyā is the education that a person acquires in relation to subjects of knowledge. The scriptures describe eighteen types of vidyās. Amongst them, fourteen are prominent: 

“Śhikśhā, Kalp, Vyākaraṇ, Nirukti, Jyotiṣh, Chhanda—these are the six types of knowledge known as Vedāṅg (limbs of the Vedas). Ṛig, Yajur, Sāma, Atharva—these are the four branches of Vedic knowledge. Along with Mīmānsā, Nyāya, Dharma Śhāstra, and the Puranas, these comprise the fourteen chief vidyās.” Practice of these vidyās cultivates the intellect, deepens the knowledge, and increases awareness of the path of dharma. Additionally, the science of spirituality liberates human beings from material bondage and gives them immortality. Thus, it is superior to the previously mentioned vidyās. This is mentioned in the Śhrīmad Bhāgavatam as well: sā vidyā tanmatiryayā (Verse 4.29.49)[v30] “The best knowledge is that by which the intellect becomes attached to the lotus feet of God.” 

In the field of argument and logic, jalpa means to find fault with the opponent’s statements, for the sake of establishing one’s own opinion. Vitaṇḍa means to avoid proper deliberation on the truth through evasion and frivolous arguments. Vāda is the logical conclusion of the discussion. Logic is the basis for communication of ideas and establishment of truths. It is because of a universal sense of logic that knowledge can be easily cultivated, taught, and learnt in human society. The universal principles of logic are a manifestation of the power of God.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 31

 Chapter 10 verse 31 

“Amongst purifiers I am the wind, and amongst wielders of weapons I am Lord Rama. Of water creatures I am the crocodile, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganga.” 

Wind is able to purify smells, cleans up the environment and makes the world a better place to live in. This aspect of wind’s ability purify comes from the Lord. Lord Rama was the best wielder of weapons only for just causes. Even though he was most powerful, he only used his valor for dharmic purposes. That aspect of Lord Rama is the essence of Divine. Crocodiles have been around for ages and are among the most majestic of water creatures. The majestic nature is reflective of the Lord. Amongst all the rivers in the world, ganga is the most revered and it has flown from the heavens through the locks of paramashiva Himself. Therefore the glory of ganga at its best is reflective of the Divine glories of the Lord.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 30

Chapter 10 verse 30 

“I am Prahlada amongst the daityas (clan of asuras and descendants of diti and kashyapa); amongst all that controls I am time. Know me to be the lion amongst animals, and Garuda amongst the birds.” 

Prahlada represents the best of asuras and is a reflection of Lord’s ability to instill utmost devotion to Him. Time ultimately cures every ill, conquers ego, creates and destroys beings and physical aspects of Universe and is the ultimate controller. Lord controls time. Lion is at the top of the animal food chain and is the lord of the animal kingdom but it is just one of the creations of the Supreme Being. Among the bird, the most majestic is the Garuda (Brahminy Kite is the closest contemporary bird representing ancient Garuda) and is the primary vehicle of Lord Vishnu. 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 29

 Chapter 10 verse 29 

“Amongst the snakes I am Ananta; amongst aquatics I am Varuna. Amongst the departed ancestors I am Aryaman; amongst dispensers of law I am Yamaraja, the lord of death.” 

Continuing to enumerate the reflection of his glories in His creation, Lord points to the greatest of all snakes. Ananta reminds us of the infinite glories of the Lord who utilizes Ananta as his resting place-Anathashayana-He who bed is the 1000 headed snake Ananta. Among the serpents, eldest son is Ananta. The king of serpents is Vasuki, a devotee of Shiva and adores His neck and Takshaka is the poisonous one who is famous for killing Parikshit. Among all water bodies across multi-verse, Varuna controls all of it and Lord’s glory is reflected in Varuna. Aryaman is the 3^rd son of Aditi, mother of Adityas and officially is invoked in the Vedas for all ancestral offerings. Chief among the dispensers of laws of karma is Yamaraja, the god of death. He is also called Dharmaraja most appropriately since dharma is the pivotal foundation for all virtuous living.